Fig. 7.
Compression stress-relaxation finite element results taken from the time step of maximum disc compression comparing the fiber-reinforced CEP model to the fiber-less model. AF and NP denote which disc sub-tissue is adjacent to the CEP with lines denoting tissue boundaries. Fibers significantly affect axial (A) and shear (B) deformations. Reduced CEP deformation allows for enhanced fluid flow (C). Fiber-reinforcement minimally affects global disc reaction force (D). CEP: cartilage endplate, AAF: anterior inner annulus fibrosus, PAF: posterior inner annulus fibrosus, NP: nucleus pulposus